Chernomyrdin spoke with reporters after voting at the polling
station in Moscow where Yeltsin normally votes. He said the
president had voted this morning at Barvikha, near his dacha west of
Moscow. Asked why Yeltsin voted out of the public eye, Chernomyrdin
said, quote: "It is easier there, it is nearer there."

Kremlin spokesman Sergei Medvedev said Yeltsin is in a good mood
and will be shown on Russian television shortly. He said only the
president's personal cameras were present when he voted.

Medvedev said that documents allowing Yeltsin to vote away from the
polling station where he is registered had been collected yesterday.
But he said the decision that he should vote elsewhere had only been
made this morning.

There has been recent concern about Yeltsin's health. Aides have
said the president is suffering from a cold and problems with his
voice. Yeltsin has not made a public appearance for a week.

Communist Party leader and presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov
said after voting in Moscow that Yeltsin's health was, in his words,
"not good." Zyuganov said the West should not fear a communist
victory in the run-off and he was confident he would win.